Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “herbaceous” come from?

Herbaceous derives from Latin herbaceus, from Latin herba, from Proto-Indo-European gʰreH₁-, a root meaning to grow or become green.

herbaceous (English): Not woody, lacking lignified tissues; Not woody...

Definitions

  1. Not woody, lacking lignified tissues; Not woody...

Ancestry of “herbaceous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinherbaceusgrassy; grass-colored
2Latin-āceus—
3Latin-āx—
4Latin-iumSuffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes...
5Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
6Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
7Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “herbaceous”

  • herbaceousness
  • nonherbaceous
  • herbaceously
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →